Serendipity
by Hiiraeth
Summary: In which Theta Sigma doesn't just dig his own grave, but Braxiatel's as well. Braxiatel has roughly two micro-spans to think 'Rassilon's balls, a cliff,' before he crashes back onto the earth and loses all the air in his lungs in a single whump.


**Prompt 1: Stars blaze in the night sky.**

 **Prompt 2: ' Shh! Hear that?' 'I didn't hear anything.'**

Stars blaze in the night sky. It's been several hours since the second sun set. Braxiatel's toes and fingers are cold. The grass underneath his back is wet. He wishes he is in his own bed, warm and comfortable.

Theta's fingers curl around his arm. "Isn't it magnificent?" He whispers. "All those _stars_."

"They are there every night," Braxiatel says. "They're always the same."

"But they're not!" Theta spreads his arms wide and hits Braxiatel's nose. He doesn't seem to notice, nor does he comment when Braxiatel slaps his hand away.

"Last week father showed us the comet shower. It was completely different then; all those colours! This doesn't even compare, but it's stunning nonetheless!"

"Last week was the first time you were ever interested in the stars." Braxiatel says dryly. His brother flits from fancy to fancy depending on his mood. Braxiatel does not think this interest will last. "I do not see why you must drag me out of the House for this. There isn't a comet shower now, and there won't be one either."

"But there _might_ be!"

"It's a one in a million chance. One in 2.64 million, in fact."

"Yes, yes _yes_ \- but what if that one chance is tonight?" Theta looks at him with a wide grin. His eyes shine as brightly as the stars above.

"I'd box it up and look at it whenever I please," Braxiatel mumbles.

"Hmm?"

Braxiatel sighs and sits up. "Father will be angry when he finds out we are here. He says it is dangerous."

"Oh, nonsense. Father sees dangers where there are none. Attack Flutterwings, I _ask_ you."

"He also mentioned hypothermia, Shobogans, tripping into ravines and getting lost in the mountains." Braxiatel says dryly, and gives his brother's leg a shove.

Theta kicks him in return. "I am a bit cold- BUT! Stars. The sky! Doing what we want! Next time I'll ask Koschei to come along if you're going to be like this again,"

Braxiatel rolls his eyes. "Oh, _Koschei._ Father isn't happy about him, either."

Theta squints at him, and after a moment Braxiatel feels his brother's mind clumsily prodding at his own, eager for more information. He sighs and easily shields himself, before projecting an image of their father's stern face in his mind.

Theta goes quiet. "That's not fair," He says after a moment. Braxiatel can hear the pout in his voice. "That's cheating."

"No, it's not." Braxiatel says firmly. He places his hands on his knees as he stands up. He offers Theta a hand. "Come on now, before father finds out."

"He'll find out anyway," Theta mutters. "The House will tell. "

The boys contemplate this thought for a moment. Theta sinks in on himself. Braxiatel's shoulders slump.

Theta absently rubs his ear. He looks miserable. "I do not see why all the fun things in life should be punishable. It makes no sense."

Braxiatel shakes his hand in front of Theta's face and his brother finally takes it. Braxiatel lifts him up, an easy feat with Theta's slight frame and Braxiatel's greater height.

Braxiatel is almost thirty years old, Theta nineteen. Their bodies are adolescent still, but Braxiatel has shot up in height and his voice cracks at the most inopportune moments. When it stops breaking he will be allowed to sit in at the dinners his parents host. He looks forward to it greatly.

Theta, on the other hand, is destined for mischief. Braxiatel suspects he wouldn't find sitting in with dinner guests an enticing prospect in the least; Theta would rather be behind the scenes, far away from all the 'stiff formality', laughing at their funny hats.

Braxiatel sighs. "Rules exist for a reason. If everyone did as they pleased, Gallifrey would fall to ruin. And if one person, such as you, would be exempt from following the rules.."

Theta perks up.

"..others would consider it to be unfair, and would complain incessantly."

Theta's shoulders slump. "Now you really do sound like father."

Braxiatel nods to himself. "There are worse fates. Now, shall we-"

Something moves in the corner of his eye. He whirls around to see what it is, but there is only darkness, and in the distance, the lights of House Lungbarrow. A twig breaks behind them.

"Shall we what? Go for a hike?" Theta suggests half-heartedly.

" Shh! Hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything. Other than your prattling, of course."

Braxiatel instinctively draws his brother towards him. "There's something out there. Something large."

Theta's eyes widen and, to Braxiatel's horror, he grins. "A _monster?_ Oh, please, let it be something exciting!" He whirls away from Brax and waves his hands with all the wild abandon of a young man who's never met an actual monster. "Hello? Are you there, monster?"

"Thete; Theta! Don't wander off!" Braxiatel follows him as well as he can. He feels clumsy and ungainly in the dark, with his too-long limbs that he hasn't gotten used to yet. "Where is our lantern? Theta?"

Theta grabs him by the arm. Braxiatel can just make out the manic grin in the darkness. "I think it went that way," Theta points to their left, where inky darkness has swallowed up the landscape. Gallifrey's nights are short, but they are very dark.

They carefully shuffle through the night. Braxiatel feels he should stop while he still can, but a burning curiosity has overtaken him as it has Theta. What did he see in the darkness? A harmless creature, or perhaps an Outsider? A Time Lord seeking to hide an important secret or conspiracy?

He can hear Theta breathing. Other than that, there is only the rustle of the wind through the leaves. It is quite remarkable how different Gallifrey is when there is no glass dome over one's head. How... primitive, it makes Braxiatel feel. Yet it doesn't feel bad.

He looks at his brother's silhouette in contemplation. Perhaps it was a good idea to go outside after all- before he can finish the thought, the ground underneath his feet disappears and the world turns upside down. For a moment, he is air-born. He has roughly two micro-spans to think 'Rassilon's balls, a _cliff,'_ before he crashes back onto the earth and loses all the air in his lungs in a single _whump._

He tumbles down the hill for what feels like ages, but eventually he comes to a stop. He lies on his back for a moment and tries to regain his breath. When his lungs fill up again, he manages a drawn-out, "Aaaaagh." Too little, too late.

"Brax! Brax? Are you alright?"

Judging from the direction of the call, the little twerp has somehow managed _not_ to fall. Braxiatel feels the peculiar urge to strangle his little brother.

He represses the feeling, tempting as it is to just go through with it, and focuses on more current matters. Well. There is no immediate screaming pain, other than what is bound to be an impressive collection of bruises all over his body.

He sits up. Something cracks audibly. "I'm fine," Braxiatel's voice betrays him by skipping the final vowel and settling for an undignified squeak instead. _Puberty._ "I'm fine!" He repeats, in a more manly sort of voice.

"Now could you _please_ get our lantern?"

Theta goes quiet. After a moment, Braxiatel hears a few muffled curses, quickly followed by a triumphant, "Ha!"

More footsteps and suddenly Braxiatel is blinded by the lantern's light. "Yes, yes; now if you could aim it _away_ from my face, please?"

Theta chuckles but obeys. The light beam passes over the rest of Braxiatel's body and pauses over his left leg. "Is it supposed to look like that?"

Braxiatel draws his leg towards himself with a scowl. He pets the insulted appendage comfortingly. " _Yes,_ it is _._ Now stop dawdling and show me where I am!"

The light slowly drifted over his surroundings. "You appear to be in a pit of sorts," Theta said. "I hope the monster's not down there with you,"

Braxiatel jumped up. "Don't say such things! Throw me the lantern!"

"No, I need it."

"I need it more! I could be gobbled up by a _monster!_ "

"I don't think there is a monster down there," Theta says thoughtfully. The lantern's light bounces around the pit. "But we'll have to get you out anyway. D'you think you could climb?"

The light hovers over the nearest wall. Braxiatel studies it. It looks steep and gravelly. "..Perhaps. I could end up breaking my bones in the process, however. There's got to be a better way."

"Well, have you got a rope?" Theta asks.

"Of course I haven't got a rope. Be sensible."

"It's only, what with you being so aware of all the dangers, I thought you'd be better prepared," Theta continues innocently.

"Is this _really_ the time to boost your ego? I could starve in here,"

"You wouldn't if you'd thought to bring along something to eat."

" _Theta."_

" _Fortunately_ , I thought this through better than you did," Theta says smugly. "You see, I happen to know how to get out of this pit. I figured it out _ages_ ago."

Braxiatel reconsiders strangling his brother when he gets to the top. "Do _tell,_ dearest brother?" He says through clenched teeth.

"Hmmm, no. I want to see if you can figure it out for you-AHH!"

A loud thump resounds through the night, and then Theta comes tumbling down head over heels. Somewhere along the way, something cracks and the light goes out, dousing the pit in blackness.

 _Pride before the fall_ , Braxiatel thinks idly, before concern wins out and he rushes towards the younger boy.

Theta groans and clutches at his head. "That thing.. it pushed me in!"

Braxiatel reaches him and pats him down. "Are you hurt? Did you break anything?"

Theta shakes his head. "No, but the lantern did,"

Ah, yes. Braxiatel blinks. In the darkness, he can barely even make out Theta. "Oh, _brilliant_."

"It's not my fault," Theta grumbles and dusts himself off. "That thing-whatever it was- suddenly barged into me,"

"Could you see what it was?" Braxiatel peers up. He couldn't see much, only the stars high above.

"No," Theta replies. The two boys stay quiet for a while, one of them thrilled at being confronted with the unknown, the other plagued by a desire to understand what had happened.

After a moment, Braxiatel has a thought. "So, what was your illustrious plan to get us out of here? You said you knew how to do it,"

"Err, well,"

"Yeees?"

"It rather required someone standing at the top."

"Oh, _brilliant._ Shall we ask our friend the monster?"

".."

"That was _not_ a serious suggestion!" Braxiatel crosses his arms over his chest. "How did you know, anyway? What was your plan?"

"There's a rope hidden behind a tree, about fifteen feet away from the pit," Theta admits.

"And how, pray tell, do you know this?" Braxiatel says in his sweetest voice. Theta flinches.

"Wedugit." He mumbles.

"Excuse me?"

"We dug it!" Theta cries out. "Koschei and I; he'd gotten his gift for his name day and we wanted to try it out- and then we thought of a way to make it better, and as it turned out the structure underneath this hill was already quite unstable, so with some simple vibrations form the gift we got it to collapse-"

"To create a pit," Braxiatel echoes incredulously. "But _why?"_

Theta shrugs. "We thought it'd be fun,"

Braxiatel recollects a number of days about five years ago where his brother would regularly slip back into the house covered in mud. This explains it, then. "So, you dug a pit, and now we're both in it. Better yet, no one _knows_ we're in it, and some mysterious creature is going around pushing people in. Does that sum our current situation up nicely?"

"..Yes."

Braxiatel sighs deeply. "Oh, _marvelous._ "

Braxiatel isn't particularly proud of the moments that follow. At first, they try shouting for help. Then they remember this is Gallifrey, and no one in their right mind would actually be outside at this time of day, or any other time of day, really.

After that, Braxiatel sits down with a sigh and gives up on getting out of the pit. It's even colder than before and his eyes are stinging with fatigue. He can barely make out his brother 's silhouette in the darkness, but it is easy to feel Theta's weary mind. After a moment's hesitation, he beckons his brother.

Right, yes, darkness. Neither of them can actually see gestures. "Thete-"

Before he finishes his sentence, Theta plunks down next to Braxiatel and leans his head on Braxiatel's shoulder. Braxiatel stills. It is uncommon for Gallifreyans to have physical contact, even for siblings. However, it is.. not unwelcome in the cold, dark night. Theta is a solid presence, his mind buzzing about next to Braxiatel's.

He wraps an arm around his little brother. "You're a fool. I hope you know it."

His reward is a tired little chuckle. "No more so than you are for following me,"

Braxiatel hums. "Touché." He wonders what his classmates would say know, if they could see him. 'Icicle', ha. Perhaps in a literal sense, if they don't get out of here soon, but certainly not in a figurative manner of speaking.

He sighs. He supposes he ought to feel terrified to be out here, but there is something reassuring about Theta's presence next to his, his hearts beating steadily on. Thete's mind has gone quiet, swirling around calmly in dreams as he snores softly.

Braxiatel smiles. He'd forgotten that. He listens to his brother's snores and looks up at the night sky. A bright purple comet streaks through the sky, followed by a green one, a yellow one, and a red one.

Braxiatel laughs and wakes Theta up. One in 2.46 million.

 **AN: I've been working on this baby for ages! Phew! How do they get out? Well.. You'll have to use your own imagination. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!**


End file.
